Presented at the CiRCE Fall Regional Conference 2022.

Evidence of language learning dating back from the ancient world through the Renaissance shows a tradition of learning Greek as a second mother tongue. A serious dialectic with classical authors was traditionally based on fluency in the language itself. Incorporating an interactive lesson, this session will explore how and why to teach Greek for spoken fluency. Drawing from original selections of ancient and Byzantine poetry, we will experience the connection between poetry and music and explore how early Christian poets appropriated the music and poetry of the past – Anacreon’s meter, Homer’s language – to tell the story of the Gospel. Full of practical ways to incorporate Greek into our homes and classrooms, this session is for anyone regardless of prior language experience.